The Second Coming of the King
Living Hope Presbyterian Church
Exploring the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the final judgment as described in the Gospel of Matthew.
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Matthew 25:31-46 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
ESV: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ©2011 Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Living Hope PCA Sermons: Matthew 25:31-46 - The Second Coming of the King
An Essay about this Sermon
The Final Judgment
When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the idea of judgment day. Not in a morbid way, but with genuine curiosity about how it might work. The Bible describes it with vivid imagery that seems both straightforward and mysterious at the same time.
Perhaps you’ve wondered about this too. In Matthew 25, Jesus gives one of the clearest pictures we have of the final judgment. It’s simple yet profound - a scene where all people are gathered before Christ, who separates them into two groups, “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”
What’s striking isn’t just the division itself, but how it happens.
Two Groups, Not Many
First, notice there are only two groups. Not three, five, or ten - just sheep and goats. In our day-to-day lives, we tend to see people along a spectrum: devout believers, nominal Christians, spiritual-but-not-religious types, agnostics, atheists, and so on. We create these complex taxonomies of belief.
But in Jesus’s picture, there’s a single dividing line. You’re either a sheep or a goat. This binary division cuts against our modern sensibility that prefers nuance and gradations. It suggests something fundamental about reality that transcends our preference for complexity.
Identity Precedes Actions
The second thing that stands out is that Jesus separates them based on who they are, not just what they’ve done. This is subtle but crucial. The sheep act like sheep, and the goats act like goats, but they were sheep or goats first. Their identity precedes their actions.
This addresses a common misreading of the passage. Some people read it and think, “I’d better start visiting prisons and feeding the hungry, or I’ll end up with the goats.” But that misses the point. The passage isn’t teaching salvation by works. Rather, it shows that works flow from identity. The sheep don’t become sheep by doing sheep things; they do sheep things because they’re sheep.
I see this pattern throughout the New Testament. We’re not told to behave well so that God will accept us; we’re told that God accepts us in Christ, and therefore we should behave in accordance with our new identity. Action follows being.
The Surprising Connection
Perhaps the most unexpected element in this scene is how both groups respond with surprise. Both the sheep and the goats ask essentially the same question: “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison?” Neither group realized they were interacting with Jesus.
What’s going on here? Jesus makes an astonishing claim: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” He identifies himself so closely with his followers that serving them is equivalent to serving him.
This reminds me of when Saul (later Paul) was confronted on the road to Damascus. Jesus didn’t ask, “Why are you persecuting my followers?” He asked, “Why are you persecuting me?” There’s a profound union between Christ and his people that most of us, including many Christians, don’t fully grasp.
This has two implications. First, it means that the Christian sitting next to you is incredibly precious to Jesus. How you treat them matters deeply to him. Second, it means that you yourself, if you’re a believer, are similarly precious. When others mistreat you, Jesus takes it personally.
The Final Invitation
For the sheep - those who belong to Christ - the judgment ends with an invitation: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Notice the language of inheritance. In normal circumstances, receiving an inheritance means the giver has died. But in this case, the inheritance is enjoyed with the giver. It’s relationship, not just reward.
And the timing is striking too - this kingdom was “prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Before you did anything, before you even existed, God was preparing your place in his kingdom.
This mirrors what Paul writes in Ephesians 1, that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world” and “predestined us for adoption.” Our salvation isn’t a reaction to our good behavior; it’s the outworking of God’s eternal plan, rooted in his grace.
The invitation at the end - “Come” - echoes Jesus’s earlier invitations: “Come, follow me” and “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden.” Those who respond to the first “come” will hear the final “come.”
The Alternative
The passage also describes the fate of the goats. Jesus uses some of his strongest language here: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
The terror of this judgment is real. It’s not something to gloss over or reinterpret away. But neither should it paralyze believers with anxiety about whether they’ve done enough good works. The point isn’t to make sheep worry they might be goats; it’s to motivate sheep to act like sheep, and to warn those who are currently goats that there’s still time to become sheep.
What This Means Now
If you’re already a believer, this passage isn’t meant to make you anxious. It’s meant to remind you that your actions matter, that how you treat other believers matters especially, and that one day you’ll hear “Come, you blessed of my Father.”
And if you’re not yet a believer? Then Jesus’s first invitation still stands. Before the final “come,” there’s the present “come to me.” Before the judgment, there’s the offer of grace.
The final judgment is coming. But for those in Christ, it’s not a threat but a promise - the day when what is now true in principle becomes true in experience, when the King says “Come” one last time, and we enter fully into the joy that’s been prepared for us from the foundation of the world.
Sermon Summary
The sermon explores Jesus Christ’s second coming and the final judgment, emphasizing core Christian beliefs from Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus will return suddenly, visibly, and personally to judge all nations, separating the saved (sheep) from the unsaved (goats) based on their identity in Him, not merely works. Salvation is by grace through faith, predestined by God, with believers united to Christ—acts toward them are acts toward Him. Works, like compassion and hospitality, reflect faith and will be judged, underscoring their importance without earning salvation. The sheep inherit eternal life and joy with God, while the goats face eternal punishment. Christians are urged to live faithfully, abounding in good works, and to share the gospel, motivated by love and the judgment’s finality. The lecture contrasts earthly inheritance (received after death) with the eternal one enjoyed with Christ, highlighting grace, relationship, and the call to invite others to follow Him.
Key Points:
- Jesus Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead in His second coming.
- The separation of the sheep and goats signifies a clear division based on identity and relationship with Christ.
- Works will be judged, but salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone.
- The final judgment will bring eternal consequences, with the sheep inheriting eternal life and the goats facing eternal punishment.
Bible Verses Mentioned:
- Matthew 25:31-46
- Ephesians 1:3-14
- Ecclesiastes 12:14
Humor and Anecdotes:
- No specific humor or anecdotes were shared in the sermon.
Key Quotes:
- “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
- “Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Themes:
- Second Coming and Final Judgment: Emphasizing the imminent return of Jesus Christ and the importance of being prepared for His judgment.
- Identity and Works: Highlighting the significance of one’s identity as a follower of Christ and how works reflect this identity.
- Grace and Salvation: Stressing that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ, with works being a reflection of one’s faith.
- Eternal Consequences: Exploring the eternal outcomes for the sheep (eternal life) and goats (eternal punishment) based on their relationship with Christ.
Discussion Questions:
- How does the concept of identity as a sheep or goat impact your understanding of salvation and judgment?
- In what ways can Christians actively engage in good works that reflect their faith and love for others while awaiting Christ’s return?
- How does the theme of grace intersect with the idea of works being judged in the final judgment? How do these concepts harmonize in Christian belief?
Metaphors and Stories:
- Sheep and Goats: Symbolize the clear division between believers (sheep) and non-believers (goats) based on their identity and relationship with Christ.
- Judge’s Throne: Represents the authority and finality of the judgment that will occur when Jesus returns in glory.
- Inheritance: Illustrates the eternal reward and relationship with God that awaits believers who are identified as sheep in the final judgment.